Welcome to Microanatomy

Microscopic anatomy is the study of cells, tissues, organs & organ systems at the light microscope and electron microscope levels. One of the recurring themes of the course is that structure reflects function. This is expressed at the cellular level in the morphology, abundance and intracellular location of the organelles. A careful study of the structure of any differentiated cell should allow you to make an educated guess as to what that cell’s main function is likely to be. Another important concept in Microscopic Anatomy is that disease processes are often accompanied by or result from structural changes in the affected tissues and organs. Thus an important part of Microscopic Anatomy is developing the skill of pattern recognition, so that you can identify the normal structural features of each organ. Next year in Pathology you will learn the specifics of particular diseases and how to diagnose them, but you should leave the Microscopic Anatomy course with the ability to look at any organ and decide whether or not its structure falls within normal parameters.

The IFM Microscopic Anatomy course is taught by the Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy. The objectives of the course are to: